It’s very rare that I discover a band through a guitar brand however, when I first discovered Caparison Guitars, one such model stood out that being the Applehorn. Turns out that particular model was the signature guitar of someone named Matthias “IA” Eklundh of a band called Freak Kitchen. That’s who’s on the Chopping Block so let’s take a look…
Appetizer- this one I’d say is a pretty good mixture of heavy rock and pop. There’s just something about mid-90’s music where you can tell the minute you listen to it. Either way, it’s not a bad way to start and I’ll give it 7.5/10
Standouts: Raw, Appetizer, Blind
Spanking Hour- I’d say this one goes for more of a heavy rock sound but with a metal edge. The riffs are pretty good and there is even some technicality to them too. I wouldn’t say this is one of those albums that picks up where the last one left off but feels like the next step if that makes any sense. I’ll give it 8/10
Standouts: Inner Revolution, Spanking Hour, Jerk
Freak Kitchen- out of the three albums for far, this is one that I’d call “easy listening.” It still has some pretty cool guitar work however, there’s a jazziness to it and definitely has a vibe. Overall, a really fun record and I’m giving it 8/10
Standouts: Vaseline Bizniz, Six Dildo Bob & The Bluegrass Samba From Hell, Broken Food
Dead Soul Man- if you are a fan of cool guitar solos, then you’ll definitely like this album. Matthias Eklundh really starts to show off his weird and crazy guitar solos here a lot more and it’s really cool. The rest of the album is great too and goes for a mixture of slower songs and not so slow songs. To me this one if kind of hit or miss and I’ll give it 7.5/10
Standouts: Ugly Side Of Me, I Refuse, Supermodel Baby
Move- they seem to go back and forth between albums that have more slow songs and some that have both fast and slower songs. This one if more of the latter however they incorporated a little bit of funk (think first album Incubus) but I had a lot of fun with this one. Again more cool, crazy guitar work and I’ll give it 8/10
Standouts: Propaganda Pie, Porno Daddy, Logo
Organic- again more of the same however, on the song “Speak When Spoken To” there is a guest appearance from former Guns N Roses guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal. Aside from that, this one isn’t really new and sort of a wash, rinse, repeat. I’ll give this 7/10
Standouts: Speak When Spoken To, Guilt Trip, The Rights To You
Land Of The Freaks- aside from some pop elements, this one again is more of the same. That’s not necessarily a bad thing however if it’s good and I’d say that this is a good album but maybe keep your expectations low. The only major difference is that there are more ballads on here. I’ll give it 7/10
Standouts: The Only Way, God Save The Spleen, Murder Groupie
Cooking With Pagans- music wise, it’s still that wash, rinse, repeat however, the guitar tone is more gritty. I’d actually say that this one is a bit more percussive driven and has more pronounced low end. Again nothing new or exciting and feels like they’re playing it safe at this point. I’ll give this 8.5/10
Standouts: Professional Help, Private Property, Hide
Confusion To The Enemy- if there was ever a “heavy pop” then this would be a great example of such. This one has the heaviest guitar tone yet and even the kind of slower more ballad songs have that heavy guitar sound which makes for a cool listen. It great that they can finally switch it up a little and I’m giving this 9/10
Standouts: Så Kan Det Gå När Inte Haspen Är Pä, Troll, Auto
Everyone Gets Bloody- this is one of those albums where you get a little bit of everything. Vocally Matthias kind of sounds like David Draiman from Disturbed and again there’s that really awesome guitar work. Definitely a fun record and I’m giving it 9/10
Standouts: Small Acts Of Rebellion, Everyone Gets Bloody, The Expert
Going into this, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Again, as I said, in my introduction, I first heard of this band from a guitar company and now that I think of it, I tried to listen to this band years ago but couldn’t get into it. When you think of bands from Gothenburg Sweden, most think of metal bands but if you are looking for something different then check this band out. I do have to point out that Matthia “IA” Eklundh is one hell of a guitar player and is massively underrated (at least out here in America). If you appreciate some cool and crazy guitar work then you’ll definitely appreciate this band.
Final Grade: B
Album Rankings:
- Everyone Gets Bloody
- Confusion To The Enemy
- Cooking With Pagans
- Move
- Freak Kitchen
- Spanking Hour
- Dead Soul Man
- Appetizer
- Land Of The Freaks
- Organic
Sinister Reviews 